New features for Fairfax Media mastheads

Fairfax Media Metro Division’s online mastheads will provide its audiences with a substantially enhanced user experience from mid-December with the launch of a raft of new features and functionality across the sites.

The initiative is a key element in Fairfax Metro’s strategy to encourage users to log in to its mastheads – watoday.com.au, smh.com.au, theage.com.au and brisbanetimes.com.au  – in order to access a wealth of rich content and to personalise their interaction with the sites. While users who choose to log in will enjoy ‘members only’ content, features and services that are visually appealing and easy to navigate, Fairfax Metro will in turn expand its data collection and as a result be able to offer more relevant advertising opportunities to clients.

“This is part of the ongoing execution of our strategy. Aggregating audiences around independent quality journalism, understanding what those audiences want, and then delivering on those needs, not only to them, but to our advertisers.” said Jane Huxley, Digital Publisher, Fairfax Metro Media.

“By putting control of the online experience in the hands of our audiences and letting them personalise their experience with our mastheads, we’re responding to their needs in terms of time saving, richer content and more relevant, focused news.

“At the same time, data is a vitally important part of our business,” Huxley added. “Whilst we’ve been collecting data for some time via user registration, the new content and features we’re offering will encourage more of our audience to log in and as a result our database will be substantially broadened.”

From mid-December, Fairfax Metro will begin rolling its first array of features and functionality available to all users who register on any one of the mastheads. The roll out of additional features, content and experiences will continue over the coming year.

Registration will be free and will require only basic user information.

Enhancements to be introduced across the mastheads in coming months will include:

•    My News – users will be able to choose topics of interest (with a list of over 60,000 to choose from) and have them sent to their inboxes as emails.

•    My Clippings – clip an article from the websites, video, photo or blog to read, watch, or view later.

•    My Comments – users will be able to track their own comments, as well as set up email alerts, to see if they are pending, have been published or if someone has responded to them

•    Account Details – log in via social media (FB, Twitter, LinkedIn). Once logged in users can keep track of articles they have read, videos played, and comments lodged.

•    Control settings – users will be able to control their settings including how long stories and clippings are kept, set up email alerts on comments, auto re-fresh settings, local weather, video settings and bandwidth options.

“We’re leading the way in the Australian online news publishing arena with this development, providing our audiences with an unprecedented degree of flexibility in their consumption of news and other content,” Huxley said.